Redwall: Revolution
by TLhikan
Summary: Over many generations, the realm of Mossflower begins to open up to the wider world, as new ideas, nations, and technology begin to alter the status quo that has held sway for countless seasons.
1. Prologue

This timeline was originally posted on another website before I left that site. I am reposting it here, and intend to continue it. I love the Redwall series, for all its shortcomings, and this story is intended to be a tribute to it that at the same time reconstructs the Redwall world.

I'd like to thank the author Highwing and his Urthblood saga for providing a major inspiration. I'd also like to thank krinzbez for supporting this story when it was on that other website.

I hope you enjoy.

**Prologue**

"_In the grand story of history, many beasts come and go and are but a pawnote. It is those few, however, that have been chosen by destiny, which shape that great narrative, and lead us to a future none could foresee." _

- Attributed to Abbot Vrenner, Redwall Abbey.

* * *

_**From the journal of Apprentice Redwall Recorder Terrance**_

_Today, Abbot Brendon named this the Summer of the Many Faces, in recognition of the many new beasts we have at Redwall that Gerad and young Lord Urthpaw's Long Patrol freed from Boluk's slave fleet, and I'm sure that Brother Abel is gushing in his journal about welcoming so many new Redwallers to our wonderful Abbey._

I am of course glad that those beasts where freed from the corsair's clutches, and the stories they have to tell are certainly interesting, but at the moment, all that I can think about is what teaching history in Abbey school will be like in future seasons as I try to explain to a horde of rowdy Dibbuns the difference between this summer and the Summer of the Many Friends and the Summer of New Faces and the half-dozen other Summers that have names that have to do with beasts and the plurality thereof!

Recorder Abel always says that the traditional method of naming our seasons has always worked fine; but I've always thought that there could be a better, more efficient, less arbitrary way.

Well, I guess there's nothing that can be done about it for now. But when I'm recorder...

* * *

**417 AR**: Brother Terrance, recorder of Redwall Abbey, begins using his own dating system in his records and writing; the Autumn that Matthias the Warrior defeated Cluny the Scourge and recovered the Sword of Martin the Warrior was set by the Recorder as 0 years After the Recovery Of the Sword (AR), with each consecutive season being marked by a number; That winter was designated 1, the spring 2, and so forth. From the records of Redwall's Gatehouse, Terrance calculates that the current season is 417 AR.

Brother Terrance's system will be mostly rejected by the rest of the Abbey for a time, who continue to refer to the seasons by the poetic name given to them by the Abbot or Abbess of Redwall. However, the Recorders of the Abbey take to using the system, as it makes record-keeping much more efficient.

The Badger Lords of Salamandastron and the Long Patrol also take to using the system, judging it to be more efficient than the traditional way.

**481-2 AR**: Known as the Winter of the Southern Rats to Redwall; 481 saw yet another vermin hoard attempt to conquer Mossflower country; Bashou and his army of rats. Sweeping up through the vast marshes of the Far Southland and into Southsward, then crossing the Southern Desert into Mossflower. Bashou's army hailed from a land called "Zhong-guo", a vast Empire far to the south.

Bashou's army was not only made up of hundreds of rats (as well as many more mercenary vermin picked up along the way), and almost as many slaves, but also armed with fearsome weaponry, the likes of which had never been imagined; catapult and ballista-thrown caskets of the black explosive substance known as "stormpowder".

Bashou's horde is formidable, and manages to overrun most of most of Mossflower and besiege both Redwall and Salamandastron, in the process killing the current Badger Lord Urthpaw and almost destroying the two Bells of the Abbey. However, his army is weakened and depleted after seasons of nomadic warfare, and he is eventually defeated by the squirrel warrior of Redwall, Dillon, and Urthpaw's young son Brockvine.

Once again, peace had been brought to Mossflower country, but this time, the status quo that had long held sway had begun to crack.

**483 AR**: As Bashou's former soldiers and slaves settle in and around Redwall, The Long Patrol secretly gathers as many stormpowder caskets as they can get their paws on, as well as tracking down groups of survivors from the horde who had fled to the south and east and interrogating them about Zhong-guo in general, and more specifically; the nature and formula of the stormpowder.

The young Lord Brockvine keeps these operations from the Redwallers; he knows that Warrior (and later Abbot) Dillon and the rest of the Elders would rather see the explosive disappear from the face of the world altogether. But Brockvine feels that the Long Patrol must be ready to face a similar threat in the future, and that if they had been at the time, his father might still be alive.


	2. Part 1: Chapter 1

**Part One: The Vine and the Branches.**

**Chapter 1**

* * *

The two Long Patrol runners laid the fruits of their search on Lord Brockvine's forge table and stepped back, standing to attention.

The Badger Lord examined the contents of the travel bags and nodded softly, then turned to the two hares.

"Good job you two. You are dismissed; go get something to eat. And I think you'll have to ask Brady to give you new travel bags for your next few missions. These might take a bit of effort to wash out."

The two hares saluted and left the forge.

Brockvine turned to the silent hooded figure by his side.

"Well, Chou?"

The Rat examined the yellow crystals from the first bag.

"The brimstone appears to be of sufficient quality, and enough is here for the first batch."

He moved on to the second bag.

"This substance-"

"_Barud_, it's called by the eastern desert dwellers."

"Yes, it appears to posses enough saltpeter for a batch, if purified. There is, of course, the other method..."

"You said that would take four seasons to draw any saltpeter. Besides, the Lord of Bat Mountpit is sure to be curious as to why we are requesting that... substance."

The Rat chuckled.

"Very well, my lord. You should be able to begin creating your own samples within a few days, as soon as the the saltpeter is drawn."

The Badger Lord nodded. Excellent...

* * *

"_We must not merely react to the threats that assail us. As our ancestors built the great fortresses we dwell in, so must we prepare ourselves to face whatever comes against us."_

- Orth the Lancer

* * *

**482 AR-onwards**: The mass influx of Bashou's former slaves leads to what could be thought of as Mossflower's first refugee crisis. Redwall did not have room or food supply enough to allow all of the refugees to become permanent residents. Abbot Gerald and council encourage the refugees to settle in Mossflower, but while some had been field-slaves before being bought for Bashou's hoard, most of the the ex-slaves have spend their lives polishing armour, serving food, and constructing and towing around siege engines, not tilling fields and tending gardens.

Lord Brockvine suggests allowing the refugees to work as construction workers to repair the damage done to Redwall (as well as... other... projects), but the Redwallers balk at the prospect of the ex-slaves undergoing hard labor.

Nonetheless, several of the Zhong-ge elect to follow the Badger Lord's plan; using their seasons of experience (several had spend their youths constructing some Zhong-ge Lord or the other's palace or monument),,the structural damage from Bashou's stormpowder attacks is soon repaired.

Seeing that the ex-refugees are happy doing useful work, the Redwallers lose most of their reservations and allow the Zhong-ge to work for Mossflower as constructions workers and craftsmen.

Due to the former slaves not possessing any ancestral burrows or holts of their own, many begin erecting their own homes, and for the first time in Mossflower's history, settlements above the level of family community begin cropping up over the countryside, villages and later farming communities (By the next spring and summer, the Redwallers and other Mossflower dwellers have had some success in teaching the Zhong-ge to grow Mossflower crops).

Later in the season, Lord Brockvine orders a team of Long Patrol hares to Southsward, to determine if the southern kingdom requires Mossflower's help overthrowing their own occupiers from Bashou's army. Fortunately, the rat had left few of his forces behind as he rampaged northwards, Bashou having had little interest in having to manage a large Empire. With the news that their warlord had been defeated in Mossflower, the remaining Zhong-ge fell out with their Southswarder vermin and reptile mercenaries, allowing the woodlanders under the King to seize power again.

Mossflower and the surrounding countries will remain at peace for several more generations.

**556 AR**: While writing in her journal, the hedgehog recorder of Redwall, Sister Thea, first describes a system of telling time where the day is split into twenty even "hours", with ten from dawn to dusk and ten from dusk to dawn, each of which is split into 50 "minutes", each of which is split into 50 "seconds"*. The system is not perfect (days are almost never equally day or night, for example), but it marks the first time a beast of Mossflower has tried to measure the passage of time by a standard more exact than "Morning, Midday, Early Evening, etc.".

**584 AR**: Lord Brockvine dies peacefully in his sleep. The Lordship of Salamandastron is passed to Lord Orth the Lancer.

**605 AR**: Lord Orth and a squad of Long Patrol Hares travel to Redwall. While there, he reveals that, from Lord Brockvine's writings and other sources (which he does not divulge), he has discovered that Brockvine had made plans for Mossflower and Salamandastron that the Badger Lord had hoped his successors would be able to implement.

Several were of little consequence to the Redwallers (such as establishing permanent Long Patrol outposts in Northern Mossflower, the east, and the border of the Southern Desert). However, Lord Orth also wished to create a permanent Salamandastron harbor, allowing the mountain citadel to better trade with the islands and various seagoing merchants, as well as enabling the Long Patrol to better defend the coast.

While most of the Redwallers are enthusiastic about Orth's plans, the otters and moles are skeptical. Salamandastron is not a natural harbor by any means, nor is the terrain ideal for building. While the roots of the mountain itself provides firm bedrock, the soft sands of the shore would make constructing piers difficult, not to mention the fact that all of the structure would have to be built several yards into the water, where the ocean is deep enough for large vessels.

Nevertheless, Lord Orth convinces the Redwallers into agreeing to the project. Over the next several seasons, craftsmen and laborers from Redwall and across Mossflower (several of whom are descendants of the ex-slaves from Zhong-gou) begin gathering the timber and stone this massive construction project will require. It will take many, many seasons for the harbor to be complete, particularly as several setbacks will soon hamper the effort.

**610 AR**: Kagord the Ferret and his pirate fleet begin their series of raids on Mossflower and the islands, even successfully launching an attack on Holt Rudderwake, taking the otters as slaves. Around Salamandastron, work on the harbor is halted as corsairs besiege the mountain (destroying much of the work that is already in place).

**611 AR**: Kagord's own ship, the _Wavestalker_, lands on Green Isle. While the otters are able to hold the sea vermin at bay, the current Rhulain is killed in the fighting. The crown of Green Isle is passed to her son, Tergon.

Later in the summer, Verfen, a young squirrel who wields the sword of Martin the Warrior, along with Captain Hanfrack of the Long Patrol and Verfen's mole friend Groydi secretly board a small corsair ship off the coast of Salamandastron. After freeing the oarslaves, which include Skipper Brocker and his daughter Innes of Holt Rudderwake, they sail to Green Isle to confront Kagord and rescue the rest of the Rudderwake otters. Upon landing, they meet Tergon and the Skippers advising him. After a fierce battle, Kagord is killed and the corsairs scattered. The woodlanders (along with the freed slaves and warriors of Green Isle) sail back to Mossflower and take the pirates along the coast of Salamandastron by surprise, defeating them once and for all.

Unbeknownst to most of the victors, Lord Orth had been ready to give the order for the Long Patrol to use stormpowder on the enemy fleet, and would have if not for the aid provided by the returning woodlanders and Green Isle otters.

Orth is relieved, as revealing Lord Brockvine's deception while he was still a fairly recent historical figure might cause tension with Redwall. Only Lord Orth and the Long Patrol know of Salamandastron's possession of the weapon.

* * *

*This works out to each Redwall hour being 1.2 earth hours, and each Redwall minute being 1.44 earth minute. Figure out the seconds for yourself :P.


	3. Part 1: Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"_The thinking beast realizes that the world around us can be understood. It is of no disrespect to that world to seek to learn of it, to master it, and to use its secrets to better our lives and the lives of all beasts."_

- From _The Laws of Physical Motion_ (translated from molescript).

* * *

**698 AR**: The Badger Lady of Salamandastron, Brockwillow, first constructs a device for measuring the passage of time. Brockwillow had over the years drawn several detailed sketches of such a device, including "clocks" powered by falling water or a weight suspended on a pulley, but her first prototype utilized the tension in a spring. An extremely complex system of gears, cogs, and tiny pulleys moves the "hands" around the "face" of the clock. It should be noted that the clock uses Sister Thea's method of measuring time. Brockwillow will continue to tinker with the idea for some time, although her small-for-a-badger-but-still-large paws hamper her ability to make the devices any smaller.

**698-701 AR**: Work continues on the Salamandastron Harbor, which nears completion; however, the project has taken many more seasons than first anticipated. The first generation of laborers are long past, their grandchildren now working on the project. By now fishing boats can dock at the harbor, and a small seaside village of construction workers, dockworkers, and fisherbeasts, as well as various taverns and the like for the sailors and workers. While the harbor will be constantly expanded and added to, it is finally "finished" in 701 AR.

**700 AR**: Lady Brockwillow gives the Abbess of Redwall a pawmade clock  
as a gift, the first of such a kind in the Abbey. It is placed in Cavern Hole.

**721 AR**: During a conversation with his brother, Redwall blacksmith Briff Goodmountain, Redwall's hedgehog recorder Joffit Goodmountain recalls a story that their grandfather once told them, of his own grandfather, who was a Zhong-ge slave. According to him, in Zhong-guo, there was a practice of engraving wooden blocks with Zhong-gese characters, so that they could be coated with ink and used to copy a message several times over, much more quickly than by paw.

Although the conversation moves on, the story sticks in the minds of both of the Goodmountain brothers. To date, all manuscripts in the Abbey are paw-written. Joffit reflects that had there been a way of copying them efficiently, many of the records of the times of Martin and Matthias and the like would have not been lost to history.

Meanwhile, Briff's mind keeps drifting to the mechanism: Solid wood blocks might work for the large Zhong-gese characters, but tiny Woodlander script would be much more difficult to carve without breaking the wood.

Later in the winter, the two brothers disappear into Briff's workshop for over a week, only occasionally coming out to get food. Despite the other Redwallers' curiosity, the brothers are secretive about their project, until they emerge...

The Goodmountain brothers had created a mechanical "press" for printing; using lead (soft enough to be easily melted down and cast) "type", each a different letter or punctuation mark, whole pages could be arranged in seconds and dozens of copies could be created in minutes.

The new invention astounds both the Redwallers and Lady Brockwillow, who with the Goodmountain brother's aid constructs a copy for Salamandastron's use.

The King of Southsward and some of the richer Northlander chieftains also find the idea of the "printing press" useful.

**c. 721-onwards**: For several seasons now, the plains have seen more and more beasts settling and farming them; the previously barren lands are now covered in wheat, potatoes* and various other crops. The population of Mossflower begins to grow at a rate noticeably higher than that of previous seasons.

**744 AR**: A Southswarder mole named Grofel recounts in his journal the two "Laws of Physical Motion", namely:

1. All objects remain at perfect rest or continuous straight motion unless acted on by an external force, at which point they will react with equal force against whatever force was applied to them,

and 2. The acceleration of any object is along an identical line to the direction of and proportional to the force acting on it, and inversely proportional to the mass of the object (A=F/m).

While these ideas where somewhat common (if not so succinctly recorded) among moles, to whom understanding the ways that objects move, slide, and collapse are vital (sometimes literally), the rest of the woodlanders hadn't given the study much thought. However, at the urging of a friend, Grofel has the pages printed, and his writing soon circulated throughout Southsward and Mossflower.

The Laws of Motion become quite important to construction workers and siege engine operators), and Grofel will go down in history as a pioneer of "science", as the study of the natural world will come to be known.

* * *

*As evidenced in the Redwall books, there are a number of crops that in our world came from the New World that grow either natively in Mossflower or come from Mossflower's continent, such as corn and peppers.


	4. Part 1: Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"_Well that's a bit of a mess, wot?"_

"_A bit of a-you caused a flippin' avalanche sah, pardon my language!"_

"_Like I said old chap, a bit of mess."_

- Brigadier Shadawdale and Sergeant Buckhort, after the testing of the first cannon.

* * *

**802 AR**: Halstein, Oberjarl of the Lands of Ice and Snow, leads his armies of white foxes, ermine stoats, fellow wolverines, and mighty wolves in a massive invasion of the Northlands. The massive horde smashes through one Northland kingdom after another, almost completely regardless of any resistance.

Later that season, a lone vole is found collapsed on the path leading to Redwall. Half dead from exhaustion, his rescuers take him to the abbey where he is nursed back to health. There, he reveals himself to be the only beast from the community of Noonvale to have escaped Halstein's army. The village had of course not put up a fight, and perhaps that had been for the best; unlike many of the fortresses, tribes, and kingdoms of the Northlands and Border, Noonvale's population had mostly survived in captivity.  
The news is of course quite distressing to the Redwallers, and when a falcon messenger reaches Salamandastron, Lord Grithrun as well. The Redwallers are horrified by the atrocities committed by the cannibalistic denizens of the Land of Ice and Snow. Lord Grithrun, while also concerned for the innocent beasts of the Northlands, is also alarmed that Halstein's force has moved through the Border Region so rapidly. He realizes that the wolverines will soon have conquered the Northlands and moved on to Mossflower.

**803 AR**: Lord Grithrun and 300 Long Patrol Hares march from Salamandastron to aid the Northlanders against Halstein.

Upon reaching the Northlands, they find that even with most of the Northlander tribes and kingdoms, both woodlander and vermin, having united against the beasts from the Lands of Ice and Snow, the sheer number and power of the wolverines and wolves have resulted in loss after loss for the defenders. One wolverine is a match of a badger, and the terrifying wolves are almost unstoppable. So far, only a handful had been defeated by the Northlanders, and only when the wolf was separated from the main invasion force.

Nevertheless, Lord Grithrun commits to leading the Long Patrol into battle with Halstein's forces, and, if possible, kill their leader and end the threat at its source*\.

Towards the end of the season, a lone Long Patrol Runner from the north arrives back at Salamandastron. The next day, two hundred more hares, along with several unmarked wooden crates, board ships at Salamandastron's harbor and sail north.

**804 AR: **As summer draws to a close, Halstein's forces are taken aback as the Long Patrol puts to use a weapon that the wolverine and their allies had never imagined: Stormpower.  
Over the seasons, the Badger Lords had experimented in secret with the substance, resulting in much more powerful weapons than those Bashou had introduced to Mossflower. Catapult and ballista-thrown caskets where still brought along (and even those had minor improvements, such as shards of metal attached to the sides or oil in separate attached containers to increase the lethality of the explosion), but mostly as insurance in case the new designs had failed: Thick brass and iron tubes, hollowed out and sealed and reinforced at one end. By packing stormpowder in one end, the explosion could be used to fire a cast iron ball tremendous distances and with bone (and fortress)-shattering force.

With the new weapons, the Long Patrol and their Northlander allies manage to push back the wolverine's hoard, but there is no climatic battle, and the Oberjarl remains in command.

A stoat is born this season in Mossflower, bearing on his paw a unique pink flower-like birthmark.

**805 AR**: Eventually, the invading hoards retreat back to the Lands of Ice and Snow, but at a terrible cost. Thousands had perished, either falling in battle or devoured by the invading armies. The reputation gained by the dwellers of the Lands of Ice and Snow would also be tarnished: The idea that all beasts from the farthest north where cannibals and savages would remain in the minds of many Mossflower dwellers and Northlanders for several generations, to the detriment of the peaceful beasts living under the Oberjarl's oppression.

Moreover, the secret that Lord Brockvine had kept from the world so many generations ago was now revealed. Even those Redwallers who did not consider the existence of such a weapon by nature heinous still felt slightly betrayed that their longstanding allies in Salamandastron had kept the continued existence of stormpowder a secret. Grithrun claimed that, regardless of whether Brockvine should have done what he had or not, he and all Badger rulers before him had been honor-bound to respect that decision and keep the secret until the current Badger Ruler deemed it necessary to use the weapon.

Another result of the war was the acquisition by several Northland chieftains and leaders of samples of stormpowder, despite Grithrun and the Long Patrol's efforts to keep the powerful substance to themselves. While many of the Northlanders are incapable of replicating the formula, a handful have the right ingredients and alchemical know-how. The balance of power in the Northlands is about to change.

As far as the Long Patrol can tell, Halstein's forces had not absconded with any samples, which is possibly the only silver lining in the entire aftermath.


	5. Part 2: Chapter 1

**Part Two: Written by the Victors**

**Chapter 1**

* * *

The mole cautiously laid his creation at King MacAugraw's talons, and stepped back as the giant golden eagle examined the device.

The king picked it up in one talon, turned it back and forth, examining the craftsbeastship.

"Ach, a fine job laddie, and no mistake. Will you no show me how it works?"

The mole tugged his snout respectfully.

"Burr aye, zur, oi've set oop a demonstration fur your marjusty. If yur'd jurst look to moy azisternts..."

A strong-looking otter came forward and took the wood and metal rod from the king. First, he took a twig from the fire and put it in his teeth. Taking a container from his belt, he then poured a measurement of stormpowder into the hole at one end, followed by a metal ball thee size of a pebble. The mole handed him a thin metal rod which the otter took and used to push the ball and powder down the interior (or "barrel", according to the written report).

The mole stepped back as the otter raised the device to his shoulder, pointing the end towards a pot the mole had set at the end of the hall, and took the burning twig from his mouth and touched it to the fuse at the near end, then used that paw to steady the weapon.

The King craned forward to get a better look as the fuse burned down.

***CRACK***

The onlookers flinched slightly at the sound; some had never heard a stormpowder explosion go off.

The pot shattered.

Several memb

ers of the King's court applauded as the golden eagle himself stepped down and leaned towards the mole inventor and his assistant.

"Well lads, you've certainly got mah attention."

* * *

"_We had been given the fire of the spirits. It seemed that the whole world lay before us, ripe for the taking."_

-Talrus

* * *

**809 AR**: The beginning of what would later be known as the Northland Unification Wars. Only a few seasons after the great invasion, the various tribes and kingdoms of the Northlands found themselves once again up in arms against each other.  
This time, many of the sides have access to stormpowder weapons. Though some must rely purely on scavenged samples, there are a few major players who have the alchemical knowledge and resources to create their own.

While no one can pinpoint exactly when the war itself started, the first use of stormpowder weaponry was by the fox chieftain Talrus against a flotilla of the Guerilla Union of North Land Shrews.

The GUONLS, while fierce warriors, are no match for the cast-iron stormpowder grenades that Talrus' band is armed with, and the survivors barely manage to escape. As news spreads, those groups with stormpowder weapons lose their inhibitions with using them. Aside from Talrus' band (which quickly grows with new recruits as his fame spreads), the largest factions are the corsair fleet of Rawdru the weasel and the woodlanders following King MacAugraw the golden eagle. The three of them had already been allying with, partnering, and in some case conquering the various vermin, seabeast, and woodlander tribes and clans respectively that lived in their area of the Northlands for several seasons before the invasion, and as such were in a much better position to scavenge and in some cases steal caskets of stormpowder.

It should be noted that recent historians have painted MacAugraw in a somewhat negative light; and the claims that many of the King's actions where no superior to those of his opponents has some merits. But life in the Northlands was hard, and this author would say that MacAugraw showed remarkable restraint in, for example, forbidding his forces to attack the farms his enemies where supplied by or the villages their families remained in.

Controversy or no, within a few seasons of the defeat of the wolverine invasion, the Northlands have erupted into a three-way civil war. All three major factions make major advancements in stormpowder weaponry: Rawdru's craftsbeasts create the first cannon-armed seavessels, the largest of which would eventually entail massive 20 or 30-gun ships, (along with several more armed with more old-fashioned catapults and ballista that fire stormpowser caskets and shells), while Talru's grenades wreck havoc on the ground. King MacAugraw's hawks and eagles, although numerically few, dominate open areas where they can drop lit stormpowder caskets from far above arrow range, although not always with excellent accuracy. The three- way war stretches for several seasons.

**812 AR**: By this time, the Salamandastron has long referred just as much to a city as it did to the mountain that overlooks it. Multiple construction projects still continue; it would be this season that the aqueduct and cistern systems that provided the city with fresh water would be completed.

While Lord Grithrun is glad of the prosperity the region once known only for the fortress that dominated its skyline now possesses, the escalating war in the Northlands worries him, as does the prospect of stormpowder one day becoming a common tool- a tool of the searats and corsair vermin. While the mountain itself could just shrug off a bombardment of catapult-thrown caskets, and even cannon balls would pound long and hard and do little but destroy the gardens and watchposts on the exterior of the citadel, the port itself is a much different matter. A single explosion or cannon ball would shatter a number of supports, sending any number of buildings and piers plunging into the sea, or start a fire that would run rampant through the mostly wooden construction.

Lord Brockvine had not foreseen having to defend the harbor from stormpowder weaponry, or if he had, he hadn't left any instructions on his insights, nor had Grithrun received any visions to aid him.

The Badger Lord ordered the blacksmiths and ironworkers of Salamandastron and the harbor to construct four enormous guns, larger than anything seen before (or for that matter, after; the project would prove somewhat inefficient). Two of the guns would be installed on the crater lip itself, the other two on openings just under the top. The guns where to be put on rails, allowing them to be pulled back so that they could be loaded.  
The weapons themselves, named _Brocktree, Sunflash, Russano,_ and _Brockvine_, where like nothing before; not only longer (two and a half harelengths), and of a larger bore (three molepaws), but also had barrels carved with spiraling grooves, causing the projectile to spin in flight and fly farther. The process was extremely difficult to perform by paw, and "rifled" weapons were judged to be not worth it.

The guns themselves where not completed until late in the next fall (816).

**814 AR**: A mole in the Northlands named Turmub approaches one of King MacAugraw's vassal lairds with an invention he had recently completed. The falcon is intrigued, and recommends the mole for an audience with the King, who grants it. During this audience, the mole and his assistant demonstrate their creation: A paw-cannon, a weapon that can be carried, loaded, and fired by a single beast. The king is intrigued, and orders the Turmub to craft more of these weapons.

**815 AR**: An encampment of vermin loyal to Talrus is raided by several squirrels loyal to King MacAugraw. The vermin, thinking themselves safe in a relatively clear area, are cut down by the squirrels firing volley after volley of paw-cannon shot from out of sling range. Each squirrel is backed up by a partner; one fires, ducks down, and reloads while the other fires.

While some would say that the paw-cannons made no real difference in the skirmish (after all, the same effect could be achieved with bows and arrows), and indeed, the paw-cannons are rather primitive and inefficient, the bloodless (for the squirrels anyway) victory convinces the King to invest further.

Late in the summer, he has Turmub set up the Northland's first manufactory, a dedicated wood and stone building for several craftsbeasts to construct paw-cannons, in the woods near Mt. Icetor, his thronenest. Over the next few seasons, it will grow out over the woodlands, as more warehouses, lumber yards, and housing for workers is required, as well as a system of roadways to draw in ore from the mines.

**816 AR**: The four great cannons of Salamandastron are completed. As winter falls, the Long Patrol and various other craftsbeasts work ceaselessly to mount the giant weapons on the mountain fortress. Each one requires the use of an enormous set of block-and-tackle, itself erected over the last few seasons as the guns neared completion. Even then, only with the strength of hundreds of beasts, including Lord Grithrun and his twin sons Rockstripe and Telenor, are the mighty cannons lifted into position.

**817**: Lord Grithrun suddenly takes ill and dies, leaving the rulership of the mountain to his two sons. This would usually be troubling (to say the least; two aggressive adolescent badgers competing for a title such as Lord of Salamandastron could be more accurately a catastrophe), but the brothers are as different as can be; Rockstripe is a fierce warrior, already humongous and mighty (and somewhat hot-blooded) for a relatively young beast, while his brother, though still a strong young badger, is mostly focused on learning and knowledge, studying the words of various ancient Tabura. Telenor agrees to travel to Redwall Abbey and (with the Abbot's permission) take up residence there, while Rockstripe becomes Lord of Salamandastron. 


	6. Part 2: Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"_The beast with the flower's mark strongest of all shall be."_

-Translated from the Teachings of Iydicael, an ancient document discovered in Southsward.

* * *

**818 AR**: Officially, King MacAugraw won the Northland Unification war. Look on a map of the time period and it would show that the Kingdom of the Northlamds stretched from above Mossflower to below the Lands of Ice and Snow, and from the Western Sea to the Eastern.

Unofficially, all was not well. Rawdru's fleets, while scattered and rarely answering directly to him anymore, still ruled a number of the northern isles and islands, and continued to prey on ships all across the Western Sea, as well as on the Kingdom's western coastline. The Eastern corsairs, while weaker (fewer of their captains have stormpowder weaponry) still posed a threat to coastal settlements in the southern Northlands.  
Talrus had disappeared, but bands of vermin still claiming his legacy continued to conduct devastating raids with their sling-flung stormpowder grenades. However, King Macaugraw's reign over the Northlands was entrenched enough that he could begin building his kingdom into the great nation he wanted it to become.

Meanwhile, Halstein broods in his cavern palace. The Oberjarl had promised his subjects glory and treasure (and food) from the conquest of the southern lands, and while all three had been won, the beasts of the Lands of Ice and Snow had suffered a humiliating defeat at the paws of the Deaththrowers.

For many seasons, the Wolverine domination of the Lands of Ice and Snow has been tenuous at best. Ever since Gulo lost the Walking Stone so many seasons back, the great wolves and several wolverine lords have begun to slip in their loyalty to the Oberjarl, who now ruled purely through fear. While Gulo's descendants, Halstein included, have been and are still more savage and deadly than any other beast in the world, the Lands of Ice and Snow are no more immune to changes the world has begun to go through than any other land.

The hares, shrews, marmots, pika, lemmings, voles, squirrels, and otters of the region have begun to multiply and unite. While in days past these beings had been subjects (and meals) for the dominate creatures of the Lands of Ice and Snow, a number of guerilla raids and insurgent outbreaks have begun to plague the Oberjarl's domain.

**819 AR**: Rawdru resurfaces, and begins a renewed campaign of conquering the isles of the Western Ocean. From now until his death in 831, Rawdru's fleet will destroy or assimilate most of the searats and corsairs of the west, conquering the islands of Riftguard, Terramort, Sampetra, Peace Isle, Irgash, and many more as he expands southward. The denizens of peaceful islands, such as Riftguard or Peace Isle where sadly enslaved with little effort, neither having much in the way of weaponry to begin with, and nothing that could contest with cannon. Many vermin and reptiles join, either willingly or not, with Rawdru's new pirate empire, seeing an opportunity to further their own power.

It is mainly the islands of the sea otters, such as Green Isle and Ruddaring, that hold out against the corsairs. These few free islands begin to look more to each other and to Salamandastron for support, as none want a Western Ocean ruled by pirates.

**824 AR**: Bulgrod was one of the last true vermin warlords. A rat like many others: Tough, fierce, cruel, all the traits that countless vermin leaders had had. Indeed, his attack on Redwall could easily be skipped over or rapidly summarized, if not for a single, lowly beast in his hoard: A stoat named Roven, who was born with a pink speedwell flower birthmark on his paw. One who, according to the superstitions of several vermin traditions, was marked from birth to be Taggerung.

The small tribe of stoats that Roven was born into had no idea the significance of his birthmark, only that there had been an unusually high number of Juska raids the days preceding and following the kit's birth. As that kit grew up, he, like many other vermin of Mossflower, fell in with a hoard, tempted by the promises of wealth and luxury.

As a member of Bulgrod's army, Roven hears rumors that his pawmark marks him as special somehow, but the countless varieties of superstition of the vermin hoard are so convoluted and contardictory that the young stoat isn't sure whether to be fearful or excited. Nevertheless, destiny will soon take its course...

In the final battle as the forces of Redwall and the Long Patrol battle Bulgrod's hoard on the plains, Roven finds himself locked in combat with Benton, the mouse warrior of Redwall. Unlike every vermin Benton has cut through today, however, Roven is match for the Abbey Champion. The two duel on for almost an hour as the battle rages around them, and even as Bulgrod falls and the rest of his hoard flees, Roven and Benton fight on.

Suddenly, both combatants freeze. Although nobeast else will see it, both would later swear that a mouse, dressed in a simple Abbey habit and holding in one paw the exact same sword as Benton and in the other a shield, appeared between the two fighters. Both in mid-stroke at the time, the two beasts could feel their weapons striking those of the spectral warrior, Benton's sword clashing against the shield, and Roven's blade locking with the sword. As the two warriors fall back in shock, the mouse looks from one to the other and simply says:

"Show them that you too are but a beast."

The mouse vanishes. Slowly, the two animals look around the carnage of the battlefield. Neither knows it, but the course of history has once again been changed.


	7. Part 2: Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"_I care not for mere wealth. Pirate kings have amassed treasures beyond our imagination, yet today the only ones who remember them are the fish who nibble on their bones. I intend to create something greater."_

-Rawdru, in a conversation with his first mate shortly before the conquest of Sampetra.

* * *

**824 AR**: Roven surrenders to Benton, who is a bit unsure what to do. Redwall is no prison, but he can't just let a skilled vermin fighter such as this go free. Besides, whatever that vision had meant, the stoat had seen it too..

As the victorious woodlanders begin the task of cleaning up the battlefield, Benton takes aside the Abbot and asks if someone can keep a prisoner under guard away from the others.

The next day, Benton tells the Abbot and Telenor his story. Both are amazed, but trust the warrior enough to trust what he says.

The three talk to the stoat. Surprisingly, Roven is rather soft-spoken and polite for a vermin soldier, and freely answers their questions. He confirms that he had seen the same mouse on the battlefield as Benton. Troubled at what this could mean, and remembering something in Redwall's history about the mark of the speedwell flower, Telenor recommends that for the time being, Roven be allowed to remain at Redwall under guard.

What Roven does not tell the Redwallers, and indeed what Roven will keep to himself for many seasons, is the dream he had had the night before of the same mouse that had appeared to him the day before. What exactly Martin told Roven he never revealed, but given the stoat's activities later in life, one could make some guesses.

Roven will remain at Redwall, gradually becoming accepted by the other Abbeydwellers as the seasons pass. Despite his upbringing, Roven is a friendly and helpful creature, and even those Redwallers who were adamant that he be thrown out when he was first taken prisoner cannot help but growing to like the young stoat.

Outside of Redwall, however, things are a different story; Roven's existence remains a sore spot between Lord Rockstripe and his brother. Long Patrol visitors become rarer, and many of those hares that do spend time at Redwall are rather frosty to the stoat.

**826 AR**: King MacAugraw continues to increase his power in the Northlands. One of his first reforms is the creation of a system of currency. While some kingdoms in the North had used their own rough currency in the past, this was the first time that a large-scale monetary system had been introduced to this part of the world.

MacAugraw also mandates that only the Royal Armory is allowed to build and stockpile stormpowder and stormpowder weaponry. While he can't really enforce this edict and the king knows it, it helps accomplish his goal of consolidating the various military organizations of the Nothlands under his control.

With this tactic, MacAugraw can continue to keep the vermin raiders at bay while at the same time building up the Northland's infrastructure; Mt. Icetor, traditionally the home the great eagle kings of the North (as well as the medicinal flowers that famously grow on its slopes) is by now the sight of a growing village as the weapons manufactories draw in laborers and the buildings needed to house and serve them. The paths to Icetor and the surrounding communities grow broader as countless beasts stamp down the soil with footpaws and cartwheels.

Elsewhere in the world, Lord Rockstripe seeks to increase the Long Patrol's power and strength throughout Mossflower. The bases of Fort Tussock in the north, Sandgate in the south, and Cliffwatch in the east had been created in Orth the Lancer's day, but Rockstripe invests more heavily into these outposts than his father and predecessors did; aside from pushing recruitment (young veteran Northlander hares join the Long Patrol by the dozens), the Badger Lord encourages woodlanders to settle the surrounding area, providing the food and labor that the Long Patrol needs in return for protection and certain trade products (such as clocks or wind-up toys), as well as more conventional blades and tools (the hares of the Long Patrol, while not of the skill of Rockstripe or indeed any Badger, are nonetheless much more experienced at metal working than most woodlanders).

**827 AR**: Using a special formula for paper and a modified printing press, a scholar in Bat Mountpit develops a method for printing books that can be read via echolocation. The thick pages have indented text that forms a distinct shape in the Bat's mind when he or she emits a sonar call at the page.

**830 AR**: Rawdru dies this season. The corsair leader had been growing old, his many injuries across the seasons paining him more and more. However, his mind had been sharp to the end, and the weasel made sure to set up his empire so that it wouldn't fall apart at his death. The younger generations of searats and corsairs practically worshipped him, and he used that to his advantage, indoctrinating them with the ideas that a strong vermin alliance was greater than any individual's personal gain, and that only by keeping the Confederation (as it grew to be called) unified can the corsairs and searats triumph over the woodlanders.

On a more practical level, Rawdru ensures that his first mate Vulwik will be his successor, and decrees that the captains and island overseers will travel to Terramort every two seasons to discuss with the leader of the Confederation and each other whatever issues need to be settled.


	8. Part 2: Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"_If Cluny the Scourge had been a hedgehog or Martin the Warrior a weasel, would our positions be reversed?"_

-Roven, in a conversation with Benton.

* * *

**832 AR**: Even with Rawdru's efforts, the Confederation after his death is weakened somewhat. Although the various captains and overseers manage to continue to work together, the politics of the Confederation are filled with backstabbing, under the table deals, and bitter rivalries. Many otter captains based at Green Isle or other free islands use this to their advantage, raiding Confederation ships and settlements to liberate slaves (and goods).

As stormpowder weaponry becomes more and more commonplace, these sea otters begin building their own cannon-armed ships, and otter privateers armed with shortened paw-cannons begin their long unofficial war with the vermin pirates.

Slowly, the sea otters' power grows, as the High Rhulain of Green Isle makes alliances with the few remaining free islands, as well as working to claim the uninhabited islands of the western sea. Many of these islands are settled by freed oarslaves from the Confederation's ships, under the protection of the growing Green Isle navy, and soon Green Island rules a domain of islands that, while not as numerous as the Confederation, are for the most part just as highly populated. The marriage of the princess of Green Island with the son of the Skipper of Holt Rudderwake this season firmly establishes the alliance of otters and other freebeasts against the Confederation.

**836 AR**: Several Confederation craftsbeasts develop a working rocket-propelled explosive, but judge it to be too inefficient and dangerous to use as a weapon. However, one vermin recalls tales he had heard of Zhong-ge stormpowder use, and by modifying the rocket with a fuse and adding different chemicals into the stormpowder, the Confederationists re-invent the firework.

A different group of Confederationists develop something that in their eyes is much more useful: the first match-lock firepaw, where the burning twig used to ignite a paw-cannon fuse is replaced by a trigger-operated match, allowing the firer more time to choose his aim.

By this time, paw-cannons have been adopted by the Long Patrol, Confederation, Northland vermin, and the Green Island otters, while Southsward craftsbeast are working on developing their own models. The matchlock mechanism will be replicated and improved upon by all of these powers. Stormpowder grenades are still the most popular weapon for Northlander vermin bandits, but have failed to catch on elsewhere.

**837 AR**: Roven has lived at Redwall for nearly thirteen seasons. He has grown accustomed to Abbey life and life in Mossflower, which he sometimes spends as much as week wandering by himself when he needs to get away.

He also uses these walks to seek the one thing he does not have at Redwall: the company of his own kind. Roven befriends many woodland tribes and villages in his travels, particularly a tribe of stoats that live just south of the ruins of St. Ninian's (and even more particularly, a stoatmaid of that tribe named Rosamond).

However, it is in these travels that Roven is confronted again and again with the fact that his world seems to be separated between "woodlanders" and "vermin". And while the dwellers of Redwall have grown to accept him, he knows his own past, and the past the Abbey has had with rats, stoats, foxes, weasels, and ferrets.

Many woodlanders view vermin as inherently evil, and given Mossflowers' past and the many warlords who have assailed it, this is not without precedent. In his discussions with Telenor, Benton, and other members of the Abbey, Roven wrestles with these issues.

Over the seasons, Roven begins to compile his journals on the subject into one coherent text. In the middle of this season, he finally finishes his book, _But a Beast_, printed under the pseudonym Deyna_._

In this book, Roven explains that he believes that vermin are not more inclined to evil than any other beast, but that because of their moral institutes and codes, woodlanders have as a whole managed to avoid falling into many of the practices that have led to "vermin" species being labeled savages.

Roven goes on to explain how vermin should seek to live peacefully and morally to show to other beasts that they are just as capable of being goodbeasts as any other.

Roven knows that the world will not change overnight, but also that it will not change at all if nobeast does anything to change it.

* * *

Author's notes

Hello all! This is the first time I've really addressed you, the readers, directly, so first off, thanks for reading!

A note on the format: This was originally posted as a timeline, and in many ways still is a timeline. It's designed to provide an overview of centuries (in our time) of history; by the time Redwall:Revolution is over, the first chapter will be ancient history.

However, there are parts where I zoom in on a particular season or event in history; certain times in history are more important than others. So, whether two chapters span a dozen seasons or just one, I hope you'll enjoy the story and seeing this world unfold.

-TLhikan


	9. Part 2: Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

_All my life I have felt that it was if there was some great force acting against my people; as if something in the very nature of the universe itself were causing us to commit acts of cruelty._

-Excerpt from **But a Beast**.

* * *

**838 AR**: Roven's book begins to be circulated among Mossflower and the surrounding countries, copied first by printing presses at Redwall, then by printing shops all through Mossflower, Southsward, the Northlands, and the islands.

For the Redwallers, the book is somewhat discomforting; after all, Roven's alright, and sure, vermin could be goodbeasts in theory, but even if that's the case, isn't it safer to just leave them off to themselves somewhere where they can't cause problems for woodlanders?

Lord Rockstripe, on the other hand, is incensed. He is of the conviction that any vermin who is not currently preying on some goodbeast will be doing so at some point in the future. He doesn't want to exterminate all vermin everywhere of course (he's not insane), but would much rather ship them all off to the islands or something. He has never approved of Roven, a fact which has caused quite a bit of strife between the Badger Lord and his brother.

In the islands, the book has little impact. The otters and other freebeasts have always lived with the threat of vermin piracy, and said many of said pirates have little use for books as anything other than trade goods. Even the Confederation's "cultured" upper class have little time for a tome on how they should be civilized.

A copy finds itself in the talons of King MacAugraw, for whom the difference between one mammal and the other is and has always been of little consequence; if the ones calling themselves "woodlanders" are allied with him and those calling themselves "vermin" are against him, so be it. The golden eagle is not blind to the way vermin and woodlanders act towards each other, but he also remembers that vermin fought alongside him in during Halstein's invasion, and that there are regions of his kingdom where vermin farm and live quietly, and will most likely pay their taxes once the system is implemented.

However, there are some who take to the Taggerung's teaching. In the Northlands, some of the vermin bands grow tired of war, and wonder if there might be a better life. In the Confederation, the middle class (mostly craftsbeasts) also find _But a Beast_ interesting.

This season, the High Rhulain declares the existence of a formal Domain of Green Isle, the political union of all the free islands in the Western Sea under the rule of herself. In a system somewhat similar to that of the Confederation, a formal council was to meet every four seasons on Green Island, made up of the Rhulain, the skippers of the Green Isle clans, and the skippers, patriarchs, and chiefs of the other free islands.

While the privateers where still (clandestinely) encouraged to prey on the Confederation pirate ships and free slaves, the High Rhulain begins organizing a true Domain Navy.

**839 AR**: The otter Tanrud sets sail from Salamandastron harbor with his crew, on a voyage for the sole purpose of exploring the wider world. Tanrud had grown up reading of far off lands to the south and east, and longed to explore those lands.

Later this season, the first cases of the Whitebreath plague begin to break out in the Lands of Ice and Snow.

**840-onwards**: The ruling wolverines, wolves, and vermin of the Lands of Ice and Snow are devastated by the Whitebreath plague, which causes the victim's tongue and gums to lose almost all of their color (hence the name) and swell up, eventually preventing the victim from eating or drinking.

The disease is notable for only affecting meat-eaters for some reason; as Whitebreath seems to have vanished after this outbreak (that fact itself is still a major mystery to historians), the reason for this is unknown, particularly as even those beasts that were eaten by the ruling classes seemed unaffected.

This proved to be the beginning of the end for the predators of the Lands of Ice and Snow, as the plague-ridden wolves and vermin and wolverines find themselves with a huge uprising of the prey animals of their realm.

Guerrilla attacks by hares and shrews, rampages by giant but usually gentle marmots, near-suicidal mass rushes of lemmings, as well as pika, voles, and squirrels all hurl themselves at the Oberjarl and his followers with a desperation born of seasons of seeing their families devoured.

Despite the ferocity of the rebels and the sickness of the predators, the war could go either way; Wolverines are still extraordinarily powerful fighters, and wolves are even more dangerous (during the great invasion, even the stormpowder of the Long Patrol only took down a pawful).

King MacAugraw takes this opportunity to begin smuggling paw-cannons, grenades, and stormpowder to the rebels, hoping to weaken his one-time enemies.

**841 AR**: The recorder of Redwall muses in his journal on the strange properties of amber, namely, that after rubbing a chunk of it idly in his paws, it caused his fur to stand on end. Although curious, the recorder can't fathom why this would be...

By this season, Tanrud's voyage has passed beyond Southsward to the marsh kingdom of Caujel, and further on to the many nations of the Greater Desert.

Around the same time, the bats of Bat Mountpit perfect special stormpowder weapons that a bat can use while either flying or perched. Although the bats remain mostly isolationist (being nocturnal after all), those who witness them attest to the crack sharpshooting skills bats posses due to their echolocation.

Innovations by the rest of the world in the field of stormpowder weapons continue to be made, such as the invention of the blunderbuss and the pistol this season.

It should be noted that the Long Patrol is finding that their bright uniforms are increasingly helpful on the battlefield (mostly against the reptiles and toads of southern Mossflower), where the thick smoke of stormpowder makes seeing your officers and fellow fighters difficult.

From this season onwards, MacAugraw's lairds on the eastern shore begin a campaign against the barbarian pygmy shrews of the southward cliffs, after several travelers are ambushed and enslaved. The pygmy shrews, who have little in the way of metal working, are no match for stormpowder weaponry, and most of the shrews flee to the south, where they will over the next several seasons integrate with their Cavemob relatives of the border-region mountains, who themselves are beginning to develop technologically, having recently adopted steel-working and large-scale iron mining.

Finally, plans are drawn up among the Guosim to, with Redwall's help, construct a bridge over the River Moss where the ford currently is.

For Redwall, however, the most important event this season has seemingly little to do with the world at large, because is this winter that Roven and Rosamond are wed at Redwall. It is a scene that past generations of Redwallers would have found quite strange, and yet familiar. For some, seeing the couple happy together is a sign that just maybe, this whole idea of vermin and woodlanders existing alongside each other might not be that crazy

* * *

Author's notes

We're still a bit of a ways away from catching up with the original posting of Redwall: Revolution, but if you've read both, then you know that I've already made quite a few changes. That being said, I'm always open to ideas, suggestions, or comments, just know that the main course of the story has already been made. Thanks for reading!

-TLhikan


	10. Part 2: Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

* * *

_"My Lord, there is a world that beyond what you can see from this crater."_  
-Tanrud the Discoverer, speaking to Lord Rockstripe.

* * *

**841 AR**: Tanrud lands in the coastal town of Aonghei, marking the first time a native of Mossflower country has set footpaw in Zhong-guo. He is greeted by the Zhong-ge, who are friendly enough and even know some of the Mossflower tongue.

Over the remainder of the season, the beasts of Mossflower will be escorted further down the Zhon-guo cost to Rhonjing, the capital of the Zhong-guo empire.

In other parts of the world, envoys from the rebel leaders of the Lands of Ice and Snow meet with officials from King MacAugraw. While the rebels have been putting the weapons that the Northlanders have been smuggling to them to good use, the Whitebreath plague is beginning to die out, and the rebels have still been taking massive losses. What agreement the two groups will reach is still unclear. More worrisome to all involved, the predators have begun to utilize stormpowder weaponry scavenged from the rebels.

The aging King of Southsward had decided to retire a season ago, and on the solstice, his son Arvagen is crowned. In a speech to the crowds who have flocked from across the kingdom to Castle Floret, Arvagen proclaims that Southsward "shall become a beacon of prosperity and progress through the lands". In a meeting the next week with his advisors, the new king lays out his plans for the nation, first and foremost adopting a currency and a taxation system, which will in turn allow Southsward to improve its roads, set up manufactories and improve on the kingdom's military. Raids by desert-dwelling lizards and rats have increased in the last few seasons, as the presence of Long Patrol forces armed with stormpowder drives them south. Only the Royal Guard and the strongest clans near Castle Floret are armed with stormpowder weaponry; the communities near the northern border must face the nomads armed only with traditional steel.

**842 AR**: On the first day of spring, Tanrud's ship, now accompanied by several Zhong-ge vessels, sails up the Grengtzu river to Rhonjing, capital of Zhong-guo. The beasts of Mossflower are astounded by the city, where huge building stretch over crowed streets and canals. Dozens of different species of mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and birds teem through those streets and the air above them, crowding alongside street vendors and entertainers.

The Emperor's places looms over the city, a massive structure that the otter and his crew will later describe as "beyond words".

The beasts from Mossflower are ushered in as honored guests before the Emperor Jiang, a cat. The Emperor welcomes Tanrud and his crew, and tells them that he wishes to hear of the lands of the north from somebeast who has seen them firsthand. In return, the Emperor offers to give the Mossflowers dwellers a tour of his realm, a chance to observe the great Zhong-guo's culture.

Tanrud of course accepts the offer, and for the next two seasons, he and his crew will travel with the Emperor all over Zhong-guo, telling Jiang tales of Mossflower and the surrounding country's history all the while.

Also this season, King MacAugraw begins gathering the various lairds, chiefs, skippers, and various other leaders of his realm together for a meeting at Mt. Icetor.

Rockstripe visits Redwall during this season. His somewhat icy attitude toward Roven and Rosamond puts some of the Redwallers off, but for the most part they find him pleasant enough.

However, things are not so well between the Badger Lord and his twin brother. Telenor, as he often has through visits and letters to Salamandastron over the seasons, tries to reason with his brother on the subject of the Taggerung and vermin in general, but Rockstripe won't hear it.

However, their conversation soon turns to a different topic: The future of Mossflower itself.

Rockstripe believes that Mossflower will not be able to stand up to threats such as the Confederation if they are not unified like other nations. Mossflower must have its own ruling body, it's own institution of government.

Telenor is skeptical. History tells him that an appropriate level of "government" is a useful institution for protecting innocent beasts from those who would harm them. He also believes that larger projects, like the planned bridge over the River Moss, require a higher level of organization to pull off.

However, as much as it pains him to realize it, the badger scholar is not sure if his brother should be the one to reign over the vast region of Mossflower, itself much larger than either the Northlands or Southsward. The Badger Lord is a just and a brave warrior, but still believes in his heart that all vermin are evil to the core, and that nothing can be done for them.

Telenor tells his brother to wait, and that such changes do not happen overnight. Grudgingly, Rockstripe drops the issue.

**843 AR**: As King MacAugraw's mysterious plans near their final phase, a wild card is thrown into the mix: a lone rat appears at Mt. Icetor, requesting audience with the King. The rat, a young beast named Erbon, claims that he is there on behalf of the vermin of the Northlands, who wish to negotiate a settlement with the King. He garners enough attention to eventually be brought before the royal court, but even then, the King does not believe that this one rat can seriously claim to speak for all of the vermin bands that still roam the outskirts of the Kingdom.

Erbon claims that he is representing a group of vermin who have decided to give up the way of the bandit and strive to prove their species as goodbeasts like any other. While MacAugraw finds the sentiment noble, he points out that a number of vermin bands are still carrying out raids against peaceful Northlanders.

When Erbon sees that his word alone will not convince MacAugraw, he takes leave, promising to return in two weeks time.

Two weeks later, Erbon does return, but he is not alone. A stoat, marten, weasel, fox, and ferret, along with a hooded figure, all accompany him. Although all except the hooded figure carry paw-cannons (or "firepaws", as they have come to be known) of some sort (all but Erbon and the stoat's, who have matchlocks, are fuse-lit), they agree to surrender them to the Royal Guard.

The six beasts are ushered into the King's court, but this time, Erbon himself does not speak, but steps aside for the hooded figure. The beast pulls back his cloak, and amoung the older members of the court, including the King himself, a gasp of shock escapes.

It's none other than Talrus.


End file.
